The name Adamson is synonymous with lion conservation in Africa, both George and Joy, and not far behind them is South Africa’s own ‘Lion Man’ Gareth Patterson. Gareth worked with George and his lions at Kampi ya Simba in Kenya and when George was murdered in 1989, (nine years after Joy’s killing) Gareth took over his last three lion cubs, those destined to be ‘born free’. Gareth brought Rafiki, Furaha and Batian to Talana, his camp in the Tuli district of Botswana. He has written much about his and George’s work and their lions, but this latest book, Born to be Free, is a break from the norm.
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It is written through the eyes, paws and purrs of Rafiki and is therefore the ultimate in anthropomorphism (the attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to a god, animal, or object). Having said that, it works because it is written for children. It takes us to Kampi ya Simba and Talana, telling the story of the young lions. It’s a good story and well told, with lots of photographs of Gareth, George and the lions, and it will hopefully help introduce a new generation to the desperate need for lion conservation.* The situation is far worse today than it was in George Adamson’s time and at the time of this story, so lions need all the positive attention they can get.
I have two personal connections to this story. I stayed with Gareth and his lions at Tawana Camp in Botswana. It was an extraordinary few days in many respects, including the constant proximity to the lions.
The second was in Kenya. I had been invited to run a media workshop for environmental journalists and government conservation officials at Elsamere, Joy’s lodge on Lake Naivasha (obviously named after her famous lion).
The workshop was very worthwhile, so was staying at such a place. I particularly remember the hippos mowing the lawn at night and the colobus monkeys cavorting during the day, not to mention the exploration of the lake by boat.
As I have pointed out before, a journalist’s life can be very trying. Anyway, so sad that this book comes at a time of another lion scandal in South Africa, the shooting of a prize pride leader in a private game reserve adjoining the Kruger National Park. Will we never learn?
You might remember that recent and lovely story about the elephants in Gabon throwing dirt at approaching drones because they associated the sound with bee hives, which are much used to keep elephants out of agricultural land, well, here’s another one. The North East Frontier Railway company in India is using the sound of bees broadcast along their railway tracks to keep elephants off them. Collisions between trains and elephants are a real problem in India and many different methods are used to keep control over both the trains and the elephants, but this is a first and it appears to be working very well. The bee hive sound is broadcast across problem areas with a device invented and produced locally, the sound carries for 600m and I repeat, it’s apparently working.**
*Born to be Free, Gareth Patterson, Jacana, Johannesburg, 2018.
** The Week: The Best of the British and Foreign Media.
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